MANILA—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday said the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., assisted in the repatriation of 30 Filipinos, 9 of whom were minors, amid continuous civil unrest and rising crime in the Caribbean country.

In a statement, the DFA said the assistance by the Embassy was led by deputy chief of mission Renato Pedro Villa and assistance-to-nationals officer Ryan Dasal.

The DFA said the Filipino community in Haiti petitioned the repatriation because of the unstable economic and security situation in Haiti.

Most of the underage repatriates will continue their studies in the Philippines, said DFA.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our overseas Filipinos remain a top priority of the Philippine government,” Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a statement.

On Jan. 12, 2010, the island nation was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands and left many more homeless.

Since then, Haiti has struggled to survive amid bad governance, excessive bureaucracy, and waste and inflated contracts that were given mostly to foreign companies. — With a report from Reuters